1
|
Wu ZF, Li ZL, Liu QH, Yang ZM. Magnetite-boosted syntrophic conversion of acetate to methane during thermophilic anaerobic digestion. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2024; 89:160-169. [PMID: 38214992 PMCID: wst_2023_421 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2023.421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Using a batch thermophilic anaerobic system established with 60 mL serum bottles, the mechanism on how microbial enrichments obtained from magnetite-amended paddy soil via repeated batch cultivation affected methane production from acetate was investigated. Magnetite-amended enrichments (MAEs) can improve the methane production rate rather than the methane yield. Compared with magnetite-unamended enrichments, the methane production rate in MAE was improved by 50%, concomitant with the pronounced electrochemical response, high electron transfer capacity, and fast acetate degradation. The promoting effects might be ascribed to direct interspecies electron transfer facilitated by magnetite, where magnetite might function as electron conduits to link the acetate oxidizers (Anaerolineaceae and Peptococcaceae) with methanogens (Methanosarcinaceae). The findings demonstrated the potential application of MAE for boosting methanogenic performance during thermophilic anaerobic digestion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Fan Wu
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, College of Environmental and Resource Science, College of Carbon Neutral Modern Industry, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China; These authors contributed equally to this work. E-mail:
| | - Zhao-Long Li
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, China; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Qing-Hua Liu
- College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhi-Man Yang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, College of Environmental and Resource Science, College of Carbon Neutral Modern Industry, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Singh A, Schnürer A, Dolfing J, Westerholm M. Syntrophic entanglements for propionate and acetate oxidation under thermophilic and high-ammonia conditions. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:1966-1978. [PMID: 37679429 PMCID: PMC10579422 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01504-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Propionate is a key intermediate in anaerobic digestion processes and often accumulates in association with perturbations, such as elevated levels of ammonia. Under such conditions, syntrophic ammonia-tolerant microorganisms play a key role in propionate degradation. Despite their importance, little is known about these syntrophic microorganisms and their cross-species interactions. Here, we present metagenomes and metatranscriptomic data for novel thermophilic and ammonia-tolerant syntrophic bacteria and the partner methanogens enriched in propionate-fed reactors. A metagenome for a novel bacterium for which we propose the provisional name 'Candidatus Thermosyntrophopropionicum ammoniitolerans' was recovered, together with mapping of its highly expressed methylmalonyl-CoA pathway for syntrophic propionate degradation. Acetate was degraded by a novel thermophilic syntrophic acetate-oxidising candidate bacterium. Electron removal associated with syntrophic propionate and acetate oxidation was mediated by the hydrogen/formate-utilising methanogens Methanoculleus sp. and Methanothermobacter sp., with the latter observed to be critical for efficient propionate degradation. Similar dependence on Methanothermobacter was not seen for acetate degradation. Expression-based analyses indicated use of both H2 and formate for electron transfer, including cross-species reciprocation with sulphuric compounds and microbial nanotube-mediated interspecies interactions. Batch cultivation demonstrated degradation rates of up to 0.16 g propionate L-1 day-1 at hydrogen partial pressure 4-30 Pa and available energy was around -20 mol-1 propionate. These observations outline the multiple syntrophic interactions required for propionate oxidation and represent a first step in increasing knowledge of acid accumulation in high-ammonia biogas production systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abhijeet Singh
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anna Schnürer
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jan Dolfing
- Faculty of Energy and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE18QH, UK
| | - Maria Westerholm
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Conrad R. Complexity of temperature dependence in methanogenic microbial environments. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1232946. [PMID: 37485527 PMCID: PMC10359720 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1232946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
There is virtually no environmental process that is not dependent on temperature. This includes the microbial processes that result in the production of CH4, an important greenhouse gas. Microbial CH4 production is the result of a combination of many different microorganisms and microbial processes, which together achieve the mineralization of organic matter to CO2 and CH4. Temperature dependence applies to each individual step and each individual microbe. This review will discuss the different aspects of temperature dependence including temperature affecting the kinetics and thermodynamics of the various microbial processes, affecting the pathways of organic matter degradation and CH4 production, and affecting the composition of the microbial communities involved. For example, it was found that increasing temperature results in a change of the methanogenic pathway with increasing contribution from mainly acetate to mainly H2/CO2 as immediate CH4 precursor, and with replacement of aceticlastic methanogenic archaea by thermophilic syntrophic acetate-oxidizing bacteria plus thermophilic hydrogenotrophic methanogenic archaea. This shift is consistent with reaction energetics, but it is not obligatory, since high temperature environments exist in which acetate is consumed by thermophilic aceticlastic archaea. Many studies have shown that CH4 production rates increase with temperature displaying a temperature optimum and a characteristic apparent activation energy (Ea). Interestingly, CH4 release from defined microbial cultures, from environmental samples and from wetland field sites all show similar Ea values around 100 kJ mol-1 indicating that CH4 production rates are limited by the methanogenic archaea rather than by hydrolysis of organic matter. Hence, the final rather than the initial step controls the methanogenic degradation of organic matter, which apparently is rarely in steady state.
Collapse
|
4
|
Zhuo Y, Yang P, Zhou M, Zhu J, Wen T, Peng D, Han Y. Performance and methane potential of up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket treating thermal hydrolyzed sludge dewatering liquor. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2022; 154:209-216. [PMID: 36257180 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2022.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Thermal hydrolysis pretreatment could release organic sufficiently from solid into liquid phase to accelerate the high solid sludge anaerobic digestion. Thus, up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) could be a promising energy recovery process to treat thermal hydrolyzed sludge dewatering liquor with significantly augmented the organic loading rate (OLR). In this study, its performance was investigated using a lab-scale UASB to treat sludge dewatering liquor after 165 °C, 30 min thermal hydrolysis pretreatment. The results show that 85.57% of the organic in thermal hydrolyzed sludge dewatering liquor could be converted to methane. The UASB adapts to high OLR stably, and the COD removal efficiency was 71.98 ± 1.95% at OLR of 18.35 ± 0.78 kgCOD·(m3·d)-1, and the gap between the maximum potential and experimental methane production yields could be observed during different OLRs. It could be explained as the methanogenesis rate decreased due to the shift of dominant pathway from acetoclastic methanogenesis to syntrophic acetate oxidation following hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Methanospirillum became the dominant methanogen with the increase of OLR. In addition, the methane production yield and rate would be hindered till the ammonia nitrogen concentration exceeds 4 g·L-1. Direct interspecies electron transfer could be promising methods to improve UASB performance treating thermal hydrolyzed dewatering liquor.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhuo
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Peizhen Yang
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Mengyu Zhou
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Junzhao Zhu
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Tianxiang Wen
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Dangcong Peng
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Yun Han
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Jiang L, Yang Y, Jin H, Wang H, Swift CM, Xie Y, Schubert T, Löffler FE, Yan J. Geobacter sp. Strain IAE Dihaloeliminates 1,1,2-Trichloroethane and 1,2-Dichloroethane. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:3430-3440. [PMID: 35239320 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c05952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Chlorinated ethanes, including 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) and 1,1,2-trichloroethane (1,1,2-TCA), are widespread groundwater contaminants. Enrichment cultures XRDCA and XRTCA derived from river sediment dihaloeliminated 1,2-DCA to ethene and 1,1,2-TCA to vinyl chloride (VC), respectively. The XRTCA culture subsequently converted VC to ethene via hydrogenolysis. Microbial community profiling demonstrated the enrichment of Geobacter 16S rRNA gene sequences in both the XRDCA and XRTCA cultures, and Dehalococcoides mccartyi (Dhc) sequences were only detected in the ethene-producing XRTCA culture. The presence of a novel Geobacter population, designated as Geobacter sp. strain IAE, was identified by the 16S rRNA gene-targeted polymerase chain reaction and Sanger sequencing. Time-resolved population dynamics attributed the dihaloelimination activity to strain IAE, which attained the growth yields of 0.93 ± 0.06 × 107 and 1.18 ± 0.14 × 107 cells per μmol Cl- released with 1,2-DCA and 1,1,2-TCA as electron acceptors, respectively. In contrast, Dhc growth only occurred during VC-to-ethene hydrogenolysis. Our findings discover a Geobacter sp. strain capable of respiring multiple chlorinated ethanes and demonstrate the involvement of a broader diversity of organohalide-respiring bacteria in the detoxification of 1,2-DCA and 1,1,2-TCA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisi Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Huijuan Jin
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hongyan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Cynthia M Swift
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Yongchao Xie
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Torsten Schubert
- Research Group Anaerobic Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena 07743, Germany
| | - Frank E Löffler
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
- Department of Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Jun Yan
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Maeda T, Sabidi S, Sanchez-Torres V, Hoshiko Y, Toya S. Engineering anaerobic digestion via optimizing microbial community: effects of bactericidal agents, quorum sensing inhibitors, and inorganic materials. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 105:7607-7618. [PMID: 34542684 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11536-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge (SS) is one of the effective ways to reduce the waste generated from human life activities. To date, there are many reports to improve or repress methane production during the anaerobic digestion of SS. In the anaerobic digestion process, many microorganisms work positively or negatively, and as a result of their microbe-to-microbe interaction and regulation, methane production increases or decreases. In other words, understanding the complex control mechanism among the microorganisms and identifying the strains that are key to increase or decrease methane production are important for promoting the advanced production of bioenergy and beneficial compounds. In this mini-review, the literature on methane production in anaerobic digestion has been summarized based on the results of antibiotic addition, quorum sensing control, and inorganic substance addition. By optimizing the activity of microbial groups in SS, methane or acetate can be highly produced. KEY POINTS: • Bactericidal agents such as an antibiotic alter microbial community for enhanced CH4 production. • Bacterial interaction via quorum sensing is one of the key points for biofilm and methane production. • Anaerobic digestion can be altered in the presence of several inorganic materials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Toshinari Maeda
- Department of Biological Functions Engineering, Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, 808-0196, Japan.
| | - Sarah Sabidi
- Department of Biological Functions Engineering, Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, 808-0196, Japan
| | - Viviana Sanchez-Torres
- Escuela de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Industrial de Santander, A.A. 678, Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia
| | - Yuki Hoshiko
- Department of Biological Functions Engineering, Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, 808-0196, Japan
| | - Shotaro Toya
- Department of Biological Functions Engineering, Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, 808-0196, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Chen H, Chang S. Dissecting methanogenesis for temperature-phased anaerobic digestion: Impact of temperature on community structure, correlation, and fate of methanogens. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2020; 306:123104. [PMID: 32172088 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.123104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the relationship between the temperature (35, 42, and 55 °C) used in temperature-phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD) and fate of methanogens between the two anaerobic digestion (AD) phases. Methanogens were profiled by using next generation sequencing (NGS) and droplet digital PCR approaches. The results showed that optimal combined temperatures for methane production were 55 °C during biological hydrolysis (BH) and 35 or 42 °C during AD. BH exhibited much lower archaeal population and was more susceptible to changes in temperature, compared to the AD phase. Additionally, we demonstrated, for the first time, that the BH step could affect the subsequent AD phase by altering AD methanogen composition and improve the stability of the process by enriching the rapidly growing Methanosarcina in the BH-AD process. These results are significant for understanding the mechanisms and stability of methane production in TPAD systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huibin Chen
- School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada; College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China
| | - Sheng Chang
- School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Wang HZ, Lv XM, Yi Y, Zheng D, Gou M, Nie Y, Hu B, Nobu MK, Narihiro T, Tang YQ. Using DNA-based stable isotope probing to reveal novel propionate- and acetate-oxidizing bacteria in propionate-fed mesophilic anaerobic chemostats. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17396. [PMID: 31758023 PMCID: PMC6874663 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53849-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Propionate is one of the most important intermediates of anaerobic fermentation. Its oxidation performed by syntrophic propionate-oxidizing bacteria coupled with hydrogenotrophic methanogens is considered to be a rate-limiting step for methane production. However, the current understanding of SPOB is limited due to the difficulty of pure culture isolation. In the present study, two anaerobic chemostats fed with propionate as the sole carbon source were operated at different dilution rates (0.05 d-1 and 0.15 d-1). The propionate- and acetate-oxidizing bacteria in the two methanogenic chemostats were investigated combining DNA-stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) and 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing. The results of DNA-SIP with 13C-propionate/acetate suggested that, Smithella, Syntrophobacter, Cryptanaerobacter, and unclassified Rhodospirillaceae may be putative propionate-oxidizing bacteria; unclassified Spirochaetaceae, unclassified Synergistaceae, unclassified Elusimicrobia, Mesotoga, and Gracilibacter may contribute to acetate oxidation; unclassified Syntrophaceae and Syntrophomonas may be butyrate oxidizers. By DNA-SIP, unclassified OTUs with 16S rRNA gene abundance higher than 62% of total Bacteria in the PL chemostat and 38% in the PH chemostat were revealed to be related to the degradation of propionate. These results suggest that a variety of uncultured bacteria contribute to propionate degradation during anaerobic digestion. The functions and metabolic characteristics of these bacteria require further investigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Zhong Wang
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, No. 24, South Section 1, First Ring Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610065, China
| | - Xiao-Meng Lv
- Institute of New Energy and Low-Carbon Technology, Sichuan University, No. 24, South Section 1, First Ring Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610065, China
| | - Yue Yi
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, No. 24, South Section 1, First Ring Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610065, China
| | - Dan Zheng
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, No. 24, South Section 1, First Ring Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610065, China
| | - Min Gou
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, No. 24, South Section 1, First Ring Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610065, China
| | - Yong Nie
- Department of Energy and Resources, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Bing Hu
- Department of Energy and Resources, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Masaru K Nobu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan
| | - Takashi Narihiro
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan
| | - Yue-Qin Tang
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, No. 24, South Section 1, First Ring Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610065, China.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Jay ZJ, Hunt KA, Chou KJ, Schut GJ, Maness PC, Adams MWW, Carlson RP. Integrated thermodynamic analysis of electron bifurcating [FeFe]-hydrogenase to inform anaerobic metabolism and H 2 production. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2019; 1861:148087. [PMID: 31669490 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2019.148087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 09/14/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Electron bifurcating, [FeFe]-hydrogenases are recently described members of the hydrogenase family and catalyze a combination of exergonic and endergonic electron exchanges between three carriers (2 ferredoxinred- + NAD(P)H + 3 H+ = 2 ferredoxinox + NAD(P)+ + 2 H2). A thermodynamic analysis of the bifurcating, [FeFe]-hydrogenase reaction, using electron path-independent variables, quantified potential biological roles of the reaction without requiring enzyme details. The bifurcating [FeFe]-hydrogenase reaction, like all bifurcating reactions, can be written as a sum of two non-bifurcating reactions. Therefore, the thermodynamic properties of the bifurcating reaction can never exceed the properties of the individual, non-bifurcating, reactions. The bifurcating [FeFe]-hydrogenase reaction has three competitive properties: 1) enabling NAD(P)H-driven proton reduction at pH2 higher than the concurrent operation of the two, non-bifurcating reactions, 2) oxidation of NAD(P)H and ferredoxin simultaneously in a 1:1 ratio, both are produced during typical glucose fermentations, and 3) enhanced energy conservation (~10 kJ mol-1 H2) relative to concurrent operation of the two, non-bifurcating reactions. Our analysis demonstrated ferredoxin E°' largely determines the sensitivity of the bifurcating reaction to pH2, modulation of the reduced/oxidized electron carrier ratios contributed less to equilibria shifts. Hydrogenase thermodynamics data were integrated with typical and non-typical glycolysis pathways to evaluate achieving the 'Thauer limit' (4 H2 per glucose) as a function of temperature and pH2. For instance, the bifurcating [FeFe]-hydrogenase reaction permits the Thauer limit at 60 °C if pH 2 ≤ ~10 mbar. The results also predict Archaea, expressing a non-typical glycolysis pathway, would not benefit from a bifurcating [FeFe]-hydrogenase reaction; interestingly, no Archaea have been observed experimentally with a [FeFe]-hydrogenase enzyme.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zackary J Jay
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biofilm Engineering,Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Kristopher A Hunt
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biofilm Engineering,Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Katherine J Chou
- Biosciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA
| | - Gerrit J Schut
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Pin-Ching Maness
- Biosciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA
| | - Michael W W Adams
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Ross P Carlson
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biofilm Engineering,Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Westerholm M, Dolfing J, Schnürer A. Growth Characteristics and Thermodynamics of Syntrophic Acetate Oxidizers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:5512-5520. [PMID: 30990997 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b00288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Syntrophic acetate oxidation (SAO) plays a pivotal role in biogas production processes when aceticlastic methanogens are inhibited. Despite the importance of SAO, the metabolic interactions and syntrophic growth of the organisms involved are still poorly understood. Therefore, we studied growth parameters and interactions within constructed defined cocultures comprising the methanogen Methanoculleus bourgensis and one, or several, of the syntrophic acetate oxidizers Syntrophaceticus schinkii, [ Clostridium] ultunense, and Tepidanaerobacter acetatoxydans and a novel, uncharacterized bacterium. Cultivation experiments in a design-of-experiment approach revealed positive effects on methane production rate of increased ammonium levels (up to 0.2 M), temperature (up to 45 °C), and acetate concentrations (0.15-0.30 M). Molecular analyses and thermodynamic calculations demonstrated close interlinkages between the microorganisms, with available energies of -10 kJ/mol for acetate oxidation and -20 kJ/mol for hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. The estimated generation time varied between 3 and 20 days for all syntrophic microorganisms involved, and the acetate minimum threshold level was 0.40-0.45 mM. The rate of methanogenesis depended on the SAO bacteria present in the culture. These data are beneficial for interpretation of SAO prevalence and competiveness against aceticlastic methanogens in anaerobic environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Westerholm
- Department of Microbiology , Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences , Uppsala BioCenter, Box 7025, SE-750 07 Uppsala , Sweden
| | - Jan Dolfing
- School of Engineering , Newcastle University , Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU United Kingdom
| | - Anna Schnürer
- Department of Microbiology , Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences , Uppsala BioCenter, Box 7025, SE-750 07 Uppsala , Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Hassa J, Maus I, Off S, Pühler A, Scherer P, Klocke M, Schlüter A. Metagenome, metatranscriptome, and metaproteome approaches unraveled compositions and functional relationships of microbial communities residing in biogas plants. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:5045-5063. [PMID: 29713790 PMCID: PMC5959977 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-8976-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Revised: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The production of biogas by anaerobic digestion (AD) of agricultural residues, organic wastes, animal excrements, municipal sludge, and energy crops has a firm place in sustainable energy production and bio-economy strategies. Focusing on the microbial community involved in biomass conversion offers the opportunity to control and engineer the biogas process with the objective to optimize its efficiency. Taxonomic profiling of biogas producing communities by means of high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing provided high-resolution insights into bacterial and archaeal structures of AD assemblages and their linkages to fed substrates and process parameters. Commonly, the bacterial phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes appeared to dominate biogas communities in varying abundances depending on the apparent process conditions. Regarding the community of methanogenic Archaea, their diversity was mainly affected by the nature and composition of the substrates, availability of nutrients and ammonium/ammonia contents, but not by the temperature. It also appeared that a high proportion of 16S rRNA sequences can only be classified on higher taxonomic ranks indicating that many community members and their participation in AD within functional networks are still unknown. Although cultivation-based approaches to isolate microorganisms from biogas fermentation samples yielded hundreds of novel species and strains, this approach intrinsically is limited to the cultivable fraction of the community. To obtain genome sequence information of non-cultivable biogas community members, metagenome sequencing including assembly and binning strategies was highly valuable. Corresponding research has led to the compilation of hundreds of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) frequently representing novel taxa whose metabolism and lifestyle could be reconstructed based on nucleotide sequence information. In contrast to metagenome analyses revealing the genetic potential of microbial communities, metatranscriptome sequencing provided insights into the metabolically active community. Taking advantage of genome sequence information, transcriptional activities were evaluated considering the microorganism's genetic background. Metaproteome studies uncovered enzyme profiles expressed by biogas community members. Enzymes involved in cellulose and hemicellulose decomposition and utilization of other complex biopolymers were identified. Future studies on biogas functional microbial networks will increasingly involve integrated multi-omics analyses evaluating metagenome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome datasets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia Hassa
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Irena Maus
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sandra Off
- Dept. Biotechnologie, Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW) Hamburg Ulmenliet 20, 21033, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alfred Pühler
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Paul Scherer
- Dept. Biotechnologie, Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW) Hamburg Ulmenliet 20, 21033, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Klocke
- Dept. Bioengineering, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Andreas Schlüter
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Hassa J, Maus I, Off S, Pühler A, Scherer P, Klocke M, Schlüter A. Metagenome, metatranscriptome, and metaproteome approaches unraveled compositions and functional relationships of microbial communities residing in biogas plants. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018. [PMID: 29713790 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-8976-7)] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The production of biogas by anaerobic digestion (AD) of agricultural residues, organic wastes, animal excrements, municipal sludge, and energy crops has a firm place in sustainable energy production and bio-economy strategies. Focusing on the microbial community involved in biomass conversion offers the opportunity to control and engineer the biogas process with the objective to optimize its efficiency. Taxonomic profiling of biogas producing communities by means of high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing provided high-resolution insights into bacterial and archaeal structures of AD assemblages and their linkages to fed substrates and process parameters. Commonly, the bacterial phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes appeared to dominate biogas communities in varying abundances depending on the apparent process conditions. Regarding the community of methanogenic Archaea, their diversity was mainly affected by the nature and composition of the substrates, availability of nutrients and ammonium/ammonia contents, but not by the temperature. It also appeared that a high proportion of 16S rRNA sequences can only be classified on higher taxonomic ranks indicating that many community members and their participation in AD within functional networks are still unknown. Although cultivation-based approaches to isolate microorganisms from biogas fermentation samples yielded hundreds of novel species and strains, this approach intrinsically is limited to the cultivable fraction of the community. To obtain genome sequence information of non-cultivable biogas community members, metagenome sequencing including assembly and binning strategies was highly valuable. Corresponding research has led to the compilation of hundreds of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) frequently representing novel taxa whose metabolism and lifestyle could be reconstructed based on nucleotide sequence information. In contrast to metagenome analyses revealing the genetic potential of microbial communities, metatranscriptome sequencing provided insights into the metabolically active community. Taking advantage of genome sequence information, transcriptional activities were evaluated considering the microorganism's genetic background. Metaproteome studies uncovered enzyme profiles expressed by biogas community members. Enzymes involved in cellulose and hemicellulose decomposition and utilization of other complex biopolymers were identified. Future studies on biogas functional microbial networks will increasingly involve integrated multi-omics analyses evaluating metagenome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome datasets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia Hassa
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Irena Maus
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sandra Off
- Dept. Biotechnologie, Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW) Hamburg Ulmenliet 20, 21033, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alfred Pühler
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Paul Scherer
- Dept. Biotechnologie, Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW) Hamburg Ulmenliet 20, 21033, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Klocke
- Dept. Bioengineering, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Andreas Schlüter
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Liu Y, Wang Y, Wen X, Shimizu K, Lei Z, Kobayashi M, Zhang Z, Sumi I, Yao Y, Mogi Y. Enhanced bioconversion of hydrogen and carbon dioxide to methane using a micro-nano sparger system: mass balance and energy consumption. RSC Adv 2018; 8:26488-26496. [PMID: 35541054 PMCID: PMC9083024 DOI: 10.1039/c8ra02924e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Simultaneous CO2 removal with renewable biofuel production can be achieved by methanogens through conversion of CO2 and H2 into CH4. However, the low gas–liquid mass transfer (kLa) of H2 limits the commercial application of this bioconversion. This study tested and compared the gas–liquid mass transfer of H2 by using two stirred tank reactors (STRs) equipped with a micro-nano sparger (MNS) and common micro sparger (CMS), respectively. MNS was found to display superiority to CMS in methane production with the maximum methane evolution rate (MER) of 171.40 mmol/LR/d and 136.10 mmol/LR/d, along with a specific biomass growth rate of 0.15 d−1 and 0.09 d−1, respectively. Energy analysis indicated that the energy-productivity ratio for MNS was higher than that for CMS. This work suggests that MNS can be used as an applicable resolution to the limited kLa of H2 and thus enhance the bioconversion of H2 and CO2 to CH4. Simultaneous CO2 removal with renewable biofuel production can be achieved by methanogens through conversion of CO2 and H2 into CH4. However, the low gas–liquid mass transfer (kLa) of H2 limits the commercial application of this bioconversion.![]()
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ye Liu
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences
- University of Tsukuba
- Tsukuba
- Japan
| | - Ying Wang
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences
- University of Tsukuba
- Tsukuba
- Japan
| | - Xinlei Wen
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences
- University of Tsukuba
- Tsukuba
- Japan
| | - Kazuya Shimizu
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences
- University of Tsukuba
- Tsukuba
- Japan
| | - Zhongfang Lei
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences
- University of Tsukuba
- Tsukuba
- Japan
| | - Motoyoshi Kobayashi
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences
- University of Tsukuba
- Tsukuba
- Japan
| | - Zhenya Zhang
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences
- University of Tsukuba
- Tsukuba
- Japan
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
|
15
|
Maus I, Bremges A, Stolze Y, Hahnke S, Cibis KG, Koeck DE, Kim YS, Kreubel J, Hassa J, Wibberg D, Weimann A, Off S, Stantscheff R, Zverlov VV, Schwarz WH, König H, Liebl W, Scherer P, McHardy AC, Sczyrba A, Klocke M, Pühler A, Schlüter A. Genomics and prevalence of bacterial and archaeal isolates from biogas-producing microbiomes. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2017; 10:264. [PMID: 29158776 PMCID: PMC5684752 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-017-0947-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To elucidate biogas microbial communities and processes, the application of high-throughput DNA analysis approaches is becoming increasingly important. Unfortunately, generated data can only partialy be interpreted rudimentary since databases lack reference sequences. RESULTS Novel cellulolytic, hydrolytic, and acidogenic/acetogenic Bacteria as well as methanogenic Archaea originating from different anaerobic digestion communities were analyzed on the genomic level to assess their role in biomass decomposition and biogas production. Some of the analyzed bacterial strains were recently described as new species and even genera, namely Herbinix hemicellulosilytica T3/55T, Herbinix luporum SD1DT, Clostridium bornimense M2/40T, Proteiniphilum saccharofermentans M3/6T, Fermentimonas caenicola ING2-E5BT, and Petrimonas mucosa ING2-E5AT. High-throughput genome sequencing of 22 anaerobic digestion isolates enabled functional genome interpretation, metabolic reconstruction, and prediction of microbial traits regarding their abilities to utilize complex bio-polymers and to perform specific fermentation pathways. To determine the prevalence of the isolates included in this study in different biogas systems, corresponding metagenome fragment mappings were done. Methanoculleus bourgensis was found to be abundant in three mesophilic biogas plants studied and slightly less abundant in a thermophilic biogas plant, whereas Defluviitoga tunisiensis was only prominent in the thermophilic system. Moreover, several of the analyzed species were clearly detectable in the mesophilic biogas plants, but appeared to be only moderately abundant. Among the species for which genome sequence information was publicly available prior to this study, only the species Amphibacillus xylanus, Clostridium clariflavum, and Lactobacillus acidophilus are of importance for the biogas microbiomes analyzed, but did not reach the level of abundance as determined for M. bourgensis and D. tunisiensis. CONCLUSIONS Isolation of key anaerobic digestion microorganisms and their functional interpretation was achieved by application of elaborated cultivation techniques and subsequent genome analyses. New isolates and their genome information extend the repository covering anaerobic digestion community members.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Irena Maus
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Andreas Bremges
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Computational Biology of Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hannover-Braunscheig, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
| | - Yvonne Stolze
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sarah Hahnke
- Department Bioengineering, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Katharina G. Cibis
- Johannes Gutenberg-University, Institute of Microbiology and Wine Research, Johann-Joachim Becherweg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Daniela E. Koeck
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Yong S. Kim
- Faculty Life Sciences/Research Center ‘Biomass Utilization Hamburg’, University of Applied Sciences Hamburg (HAW), Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Jana Kreubel
- Johannes Gutenberg-University, Institute of Microbiology and Wine Research, Johann-Joachim Becherweg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Julia Hassa
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Daniel Wibberg
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Aaron Weimann
- Computational Biology of Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
| | - Sandra Off
- Faculty Life Sciences/Research Center ‘Biomass Utilization Hamburg’, University of Applied Sciences Hamburg (HAW), Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Robbin Stantscheff
- Johannes Gutenberg-University, Institute of Microbiology and Wine Research, Johann-Joachim Becherweg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institut für Forensische Genetik GmbH, Im Derdel 8, 48168 Münster, Germany
| | - Vladimir V. Zverlov
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Science, Kurchatov Sq. 2, Moscow, 123182 Russia
| | - Wolfgang H. Schwarz
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Helmut König
- Johannes Gutenberg-University, Institute of Microbiology and Wine Research, Johann-Joachim Becherweg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Liebl
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Paul Scherer
- Faculty Life Sciences/Research Center ‘Biomass Utilization Hamburg’, University of Applied Sciences Hamburg (HAW), Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Alice C. McHardy
- Computational Biology of Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
| | - Alexander Sczyrba
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Michael Klocke
- Department Bioengineering, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Alfred Pühler
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Andreas Schlüter
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Neubeck A, Sjöberg S, Price A, Callac N, Schnürer A. Effect of Nickel Levels on Hydrogen Partial Pressure and Methane Production in Methanogens. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0168357. [PMID: 27992585 PMCID: PMC5161503 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrogen (H2) consumption and methane (CH4) production in pure cultures of three different methanogens were investigated during cultivation with 0, 0.2 and 4.21 μM added nickel (Ni). The results showed that the level of dissolved Ni in the anaerobic growth medium did not notably affect CH4 production in the cytochrome-free methanogenic species Methanobacterium bryantii and Methanoculleus bourgensis MAB1, but affected CH4 formation rate in the cytochrome-containing Methanosarcina barkeri grown on H2and CO2. Methanosarcina barkeri also had the highest amounts of Ni in its cells, indicating that more Ni is needed by cytochrome-containing than by cytochrome-free methanogenic species. The concentration of Ni affected threshold values of H2 partial pressure (pH2) for all three methanogen species studied, with M. bourgensis MAB1 reaching pH2 values as low as 0.1 Pa when Ni was available in amounts used in normal anaerobic growth medium. To our knowledge, this is the lowest pH2 threshold recorded to date in pure methanogen culture, which suggests that M.bourgensis MAB1 have a competitive advantage over other species through its ability to grow at low H2 concentrations. Our study has implications for research on the H2-driven deep subsurface biosphere and biogas reactor performance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Neubeck
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| | - Susanne Sjöberg
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alex Price
- Department of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Nolwenn Callac
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Schnürer
- Department of Microbiology, BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Miceli JF, Torres CI, Krajmalnik-Brown R. Shifting the balance of fermentation products between hydrogen and volatile fatty acids: microbial community structure and function. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2016; 92:fiw195. [PMID: 27633926 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiw195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Fermentation is a key process in many anaerobic environments. Varying the concentration of electron donor fed to a fermenting community is known to shift the distribution of products between hydrogen, fatty acids and alcohols. Work to date has focused mainly on the fermentation of glucose, and how the microbial community structure is affected has not been explored. We fed ethanol, lactate, glucose, sucrose or molasses at 100 me- eq. L-1, 200 me- eq. L-1 or 400 me- eq. L-1 to batch-fed cultures with fermenting, methanogenic communities. In communities fed high concentrations of electron donor, the fraction of electrons channeled to methane decreased, from 34% to 6%, while the fraction of electrons channeled to short chain fatty acids increased, from 52% to 82%, averaged across all electron donors. Ethanol-fed cultures did not produce propionate, but did show an increase in electrons directed to acetate as initial ethanol concentration increased. In glucose, sucrose, molasses and lactate-fed cultures, propionate accumulation co-occurred with known propionate producing organisms. Overall, microbial communities were determined by the substrate provided, rather than its initial concentration, indicating that a change in community function, rather than community structure, is responsible for shifts in the fermentation products produced.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph F Miceli
- Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, Tempe 85287, Arizona, USA
| | - César I Torres
- Environmental Biotechnology, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, Tempe 85287, Arizona, USA
| | - Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown
- Environmental Biotechnology, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, Tempe 85287, Arizona, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Maus I, Koeck DE, Cibis KG, Hahnke S, Kim YS, Langer T, Kreubel J, Erhard M, Bremges A, Off S, Stolze Y, Jaenicke S, Goesmann A, Sczyrba A, Scherer P, König H, Schwarz WH, Zverlov VV, Liebl W, Pühler A, Schlüter A, Klocke M. Unraveling the microbiome of a thermophilic biogas plant by metagenome and metatranscriptome analysis complemented by characterization of bacterial and archaeal isolates. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2016; 9:171. [PMID: 27525040 PMCID: PMC4982221 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-016-0581-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/27/2016] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND One of the most promising technologies to sustainably produce energy and to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from combustion of fossil energy carriers is the anaerobic digestion and biomethanation of organic raw material and waste towards biogas by highly diverse microbial consortia. In this context, the microbial systems ecology of thermophilic industrial-scale biogas plants is poorly understood. RESULTS The microbial community structure of an exemplary thermophilic biogas plant was analyzed by a comprehensive approach comprising the analysis of the microbial metagenome and metatranscriptome complemented by the cultivation of hydrolytic and acido-/acetogenic Bacteria as well as methanogenic Archaea. Analysis of metagenome-derived 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the bacterial genera Defluviitoga (5.5 %), Halocella (3.5 %), Clostridium sensu stricto (1.9 %), Clostridium cluster III (1.5 %), and Tepidimicrobium (0.7 %) were most abundant. Among the Archaea, Methanoculleus (2.8 %) and Methanothermobacter (0.8 %) were predominant. As revealed by a metatranscriptomic 16S rRNA analysis, Defluviitoga (9.2 %), Clostridium cluster III (4.8 %), and Tepidanaerobacter (1.1 %) as well as Methanoculleus (5.7 %) mainly contributed to these sequence tags indicating their metabolic activity, whereas Hallocella (1.8 %), Tepidimicrobium (0.5 %), and Methanothermobacter (<0.1 %) were transcriptionally less active. By applying 11 different cultivation strategies, 52 taxonomically different microbial isolates representing the classes Clostridia, Bacilli, Thermotogae, Methanomicrobia and Methanobacteria were obtained. Genome analyses of isolates support the finding that, besides Clostridium thermocellum and Clostridium stercorarium, Defluviitoga tunisiensis participated in the hydrolysis of hemicellulose producing ethanol, acetate, and H2/CO2. The latter three metabolites are substrates for hydrogentrophic and acetoclastic archaeal methanogenesis. CONCLUSIONS Obtained results showed that high abundance of microorganisms as deduced from metagenome analysis does not necessarily indicate high transcriptional or metabolic activity, and vice versa. Additionally, it appeared that the microbiome of the investigated thermophilic biogas plant comprised a huge number of up to now unknown and insufficiently characterized species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Irena Maus
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Daniela E. Koeck
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Katharina G. Cibis
- Institute of Microbiology and Wine Research, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Becherweg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Sarah Hahnke
- Dept. Bioengineering, Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik Potsdam-Bornim e.V. (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Yong S. Kim
- Faculty Life Sciences/Research Center ‚‘Biomass Utilization Hamburg’, University of Applied Sciences Hamburg (HAW), Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Thomas Langer
- Dept. Bioengineering, Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik Potsdam-Bornim e.V. (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jana Kreubel
- Institute of Microbiology and Wine Research, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Becherweg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Marcel Erhard
- RIPAC-LABOR GmbH, Am Mühlenberg 11, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Andreas Bremges
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sandra Off
- Faculty Life Sciences/Research Center ‚‘Biomass Utilization Hamburg’, University of Applied Sciences Hamburg (HAW), Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Yvonne Stolze
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sebastian Jaenicke
- Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus-Liebig University Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 58, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Alexander Goesmann
- Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus-Liebig University Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 58, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Alexander Sczyrba
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Paul Scherer
- Faculty Life Sciences/Research Center ‚‘Biomass Utilization Hamburg’, University of Applied Sciences Hamburg (HAW), Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Helmut König
- Institute of Microbiology and Wine Research, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Becherweg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Wolfgang H. Schwarz
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Vladimir V. Zverlov
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Liebl
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Alfred Pühler
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Andreas Schlüter
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Michael Klocke
- Dept. Bioengineering, Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik Potsdam-Bornim e.V. (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Sancho Navarro S, Cimpoia R, Bruant G, Guiot SR. Biomethanation of Syngas Using Anaerobic Sludge: Shift in the Catabolic Routes with the CO Partial Pressure Increase. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1188. [PMID: 27536280 PMCID: PMC4971024 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Syngas generated by thermal gasification of biomass or coal can be steam reformed and purified into methane, which could be used locally for energy needs, or re-injected in the natural gas grid. As an alternative to chemical catalysis, the main components of the syngas (CO, CO2, and H2) can be used as substrates by a wide range of microorganisms, to be converted into gas biofuels, including methane. This study evaluates the carboxydotrophic (CO-consuming) methanogenic potential present in an anaerobic sludge from an upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor treating waste water, and elucidates the CO conversion routes to methane at 35 ± 3°C. Kinetic activity tests under CO at partial pressures (pCO) varying from 0.1 to 1.5 atm (0.09-1.31 mmol/L in the liquid phase) showed a significant carboxydotrophic activity potential for growing conditions on CO alone. A maximum methanogenic activity of 1 mmol CH4 per g of volatile suspended solid and per day was achieved at 0.2 atm of CO (0.17 mmol/L), and then the rate decreased with the amount of CO supplied. The intermediary metabolites such as acetate, H2, and propionate started to accumulate at higher CO concentrations. Inhibition experiments with 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid (BES), fluoroacetate, and vancomycin showed that in a mixed culture CO was converted mainly to acetate by acetogenic bacteria, which was further transformed to methane by acetoclastic methanogens, while direct methanogenic CO conversion was negligible. Methanogenesis was totally blocked at high pCO in the bottles (≥1 atm). However it was possible to achieve higher methanogenic potential under a 100% CO atmosphere after acclimation of the sludge to CO. This adaptation to high CO concentrations led to a shift in the archaeal population, then dominated by hydrogen-utilizing methanogens, which were able to take over acetoclastic methanogens, while syntrophic acetate oxidizing (SAO) bacteria oxidized acetate into CO2 and H2. The disaggregation of the granular sludge showed a negative impact on their methanogenic activity, confirming that the acetoclastic methanogens were the most sensitive to CO, and a contrario, the advantage of using granular sludge for further development toward large-scale methane production from CO-rich syngas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Sancho Navarro
- Bioengineering Group, Energy, Mining and Environment, National Research Council CanadaMontreal, QC, Canada; Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Université de MontréalMontreal, QC, Canada
| | - Ruxandra Cimpoia
- Bioengineering Group, Energy, Mining and Environment, National Research Council Canada Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Guillaume Bruant
- Bioengineering Group, Energy, Mining and Environment, National Research Council Canada Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Serge R Guiot
- Bioengineering Group, Energy, Mining and Environment, National Research Council CanadaMontreal, QC, Canada; Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Université de MontréalMontreal, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Thermophilic versus Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge: A Comparative Review. Bioengineering (Basel) 2016; 3:bioengineering3020015. [PMID: 28952577 PMCID: PMC5597139 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering3020015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Revised: 05/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
During advanced biological wastewater treatment, a huge amount of sludge is produced as a by-product of the treatment process. Hence, reuse and recovery of resources and energy from the sludge is a big technological challenge. The processing of sludge produced by Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) is massive, which takes up a big part of the overall operational costs. In this regard, anaerobic digestion (AD) of sewage sludge continues to be an attractive option to produce biogas that could contribute to the wastewater management cost reduction and foster the sustainability of those WWTPs. At the same time, AD reduces sludge amounts and that again contributes to the reduction of the sludge disposal costs. However, sludge volume minimization remains, a challenge thus improvement of dewatering efficiency is an inevitable part of WWTP operation. As a result, AD parameters could have significant impact on sludge properties. One of the most important operational parameters influencing the AD process is temperature. Consequently, the thermophilic and the mesophilic modes of sludge AD are compared for their pros and cons by many researchers. However, most comparisons are more focused on biogas yield, process speed and stability. Regarding the biogas yield, thermophilic sludge AD is preferred over the mesophilic one because of its faster biochemical reaction rate. Equally important but not studied sufficiently until now was the influence of temperature on the digestate quality, which is expressed mainly by the sludge dewateringability, and the reject water quality (chemical oxygen demand, ammonia nitrogen, and pH). In the field of comparison of thermophilic and mesophilic digestion process, few and often inconclusive research, unfortunately, has been published so far. Hence, recommendations for optimized technologies have not yet been done. The review presented provides a comparison of existing sludge AD technologies and the gaps that need to be filled so as to optimize the connection between the two systems. In addition, many other relevant AD process parameters, including sludge rheology, which need to be addressed, are also reviewed and presented.
Collapse
|
21
|
Lee SH, Park JH, Kim SH, Yu BJ, Yoon JJ, Park HD. Evidence of syntrophic acetate oxidation by Spirochaetes during anaerobic methane production. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2015; 190:543-9. [PMID: 25739997 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.02.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2014] [Revised: 02/12/2015] [Accepted: 02/13/2015] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
To search for evidence of syntrophic acetate oxidation by cluster II Spirochaetes with hydrogenotrophic methanogens, batch reactors seeded with five different anaerobic sludge samples supplemented with acetate as the sole carbon source were operated anaerobically. The changes in abundance of the cluster II Spirochaetes, two groups of acetoclastic methanogens (Methanosaetaceae and Methanosarcinaceae), and two groups of hydrogenotrophic methanogens (Methanomicrobiales and Methanobacteriales) in the reactors were assessed using qPCR targeting the 16S rRNA genes of each group. Increase in the cluster II Spirochaetes (9.0±0.4-fold) was positively correlated with increase in hydrogenotrophic methanogens, especially Methanomicrobiales (5.6±1.0-fold), but not with acetoclastic methanogens. In addition, the activity of the cluster II Spirochaetes decreased (4.6±0.1-fold) in response to high hydrogen partial pressure, but their activity was restored after consumption of hydrogen by the hydrogenotrophic methanogens. These results strongly suggest that the cluster II Spirochaetes are involved in syntrophic acetate oxidation in anaerobic digesters.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sang-Hoon Lee
- School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 136-714, South Korea
| | - Jeong-Hoon Park
- School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 136-714, South Korea; IT Convergence Materials R&D Group, Chungcheong Regional Division, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Chungnam 330-825, South Korea
| | - Sang-Hyoun Kim
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Daegu University, Gyeongbuk 712-714, South Korea
| | - Byung Jo Yu
- IT Convergence Materials R&D Group, Chungcheong Regional Division, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Chungnam 330-825, South Korea
| | - Jeong-Jun Yoon
- IT Convergence Materials R&D Group, Chungcheong Regional Division, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Chungnam 330-825, South Korea
| | - Hee-Deung Park
- School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 136-714, South Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Franke-Whittle IH, Walter A, Ebner C, Insam H. Investigation into the effect of high concentrations of volatile fatty acids in anaerobic digestion on methanogenic communities. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2014; 34:2080-9. [PMID: 25164858 PMCID: PMC4227971 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2014.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 199] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2014] [Revised: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 07/29/2014] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
A study was conducted to determine whether differences in the levels of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in anaerobic digester plants could result in variations in the indigenous methanogenic communities. Two digesters (one operated under mesophilic conditions, the other under thermophilic conditions) were monitored, and sampled at points where VFA levels were high, as well as when VFA levels were low. Physical and chemical parameters were measured, and the methanogenic diversity was screened using the phylogenetic microarray ANAEROCHIP. In addition, real-time PCR was used to quantify the presence of the different methanogenic genera in the sludge samples. Array results indicated that the archaeal communities in the different reactors were stable, and that changes in the VFA levels of the anaerobic digesters did not greatly alter the dominating methanogenic organisms. In contrast, the two digesters were found to harbour different dominating methanogenic communities, which appeared to remain stable over time. Real-time PCR results were inline with those of microarray analysis indicating only minimal changes in methanogen numbers during periods of high VFAs, however, revealed a greater diversity in methanogens than found with the array.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid H Franke-Whittle
- Institut für Mikrobiologie, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstraße 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Andreas Walter
- Institut für Mikrobiologie, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstraße 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Christian Ebner
- Abwasserverband Zirl und Umgebung, Meilbrunnen 5, 6170 Zirl, Austria
| | - Heribert Insam
- Institut für Mikrobiologie, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstraße 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Ho D, Jensen P, Batstone D. Effects of temperature and hydraulic retention time on acetotrophic pathways and performance in high-rate sludge digestion. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2014; 48:6468-76. [PMID: 24797677 DOI: 10.1021/es500074j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
High-rate anaerobic digestion of organic solids requires rapid hydrolysis and enhanced methanogenic growth rates, which can be achieved through elevated temperature (>55 °C) at short hydraulic retention times (HRT). This study assesses the effect of temperatures between 55 °C and 65 °C and HRTs between 2 and 4 days on process performance, microbial community structure, microbial capability, and acetotrophic pathways in thermophilic anaerobic reactors. Increasing the temperature did not enhance volatile solids (VS) destruction above the base value of 37% achieved at 55 °C and 4 days HRT. Stable isotopic signatures (δ13C) revealed that elevated temperature promoted syntrophic acetate oxidation, which accounted for 60% of the methane formation at 55 °C, and increasing substantially to 100% at 65 °C. The acetate consumption capacity dropped with increasing temperature (from 0.69-0.81 gCOD gVS(-1) d(-1) at 55 °C to 0.21-0.35 gCOD gVS(-1) d(-1) at 65 °C), based on specific activity testing of reactor contents. Community analysis using 16S rRNA pyrosequencing revealed the dominance of Methanosarcina at 55-60 °C. However, a further increase to 65 °C resulted in loss of Methanosarcina, with an accumulation of organic acids and reduced methane production. Similar issues were observed when reducing the HRT to 2 days, indicating that temperature<60 °C and HRT>3 days are critical to operate these systems stably.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dang Ho
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland , St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Comparison of operating strategies for increased biogas production from thin stillage. J Biotechnol 2014; 175:22-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2014.01.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2013] [Revised: 01/27/2014] [Accepted: 01/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
|
25
|
Methanosarcinaceae and acetate-oxidizing pathways dominate in high-rate thermophilic anaerobic digestion of waste-activated sludge. Appl Environ Microbiol 2013; 79:6491-500. [PMID: 23956388 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01730-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigated the process of high-rate, high-temperature methanogenesis to enable very-high-volume loading during anaerobic digestion of waste-activated sludge. Reducing the hydraulic retention time (HRT) from 15 to 20 days in mesophilic digestion down to 3 days was achievable at a thermophilic temperature (55°C) with stable digester performance and methanogenic activity. A volatile solids (VS) destruction efficiency of 33 to 35% was achieved on waste-activated sludge, comparable to that obtained via mesophilic processes with low organic acid levels (<200 mg/liter chemical oxygen demand [COD]). Methane yield (VS basis) was 150 to 180 liters of CH4/kg of VS(added). According to 16S rRNA pyrotag sequencing and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), the methanogenic community was dominated by members of the Methanosarcinaceae, which have a high level of metabolic capability, including acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Loss of function at an HRT of 2 days was accompanied by a loss of the methanogens, according to pyrotag sequencing. The two acetate conversion pathways, namely, acetoclastic methanogenesis and syntrophic acetate oxidation, were quantified by stable carbon isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The results showed that the majority of methane was generated by nonacetoclastic pathways, both in the reactors and in off-line batch tests, confirming that syntrophic acetate oxidation is a key pathway at elevated temperatures. The proportion of methane due to acetate cleavage increased later in the batch, and it is likely that stable oxidation in the continuous reactor was maintained by application of the consistently low retention time.
Collapse
|
26
|
Hao L, Lü F, Li L, Shao L, He P. Response of anaerobes to methyl fluoride, 2-bromoethanesulfonate and hydrogen during acetate degradation. J Environ Sci (China) 2013; 25:857-864. [PMID: 24218814 DOI: 10.1016/s1001-0742(12)60203-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
To use the selective inhibition method for quantitative analysis of acetate metabolism in methanogenic systems, the responses of microbial communities and metabolic activities, which were involved in anaerobic degradation of acetate, to the addition of methyl fluoride (CH3F), 2-bromoethanesulfonate (BES) and hydrogen were investigated in a thermophilic batch experiment. Both the methanogenic inhibitors, i.e., CH3F and BES, showed their effectiveness on inhibiting CH4 production, whereas acetate metabolism other than acetoclastic methanogenesis was stimulated by BES, as reflected by the fluctuated acetate concentration. Syntrophic acetate oxidation was thermodynamically blocked by hydrogen (H2), while H2-utilizing reactions as hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis and homoacetogenesis were correspondingly promoted. Results of PCR-DGGE fingerprinting showed that, CH3F did not influence the microbial populations significantly. However, the BES and hydrogen notably altered the bacterial community structures and increased the diversity. BES gradually changed the methanogenic community structure by affecting the existence of different populations to different levels, whilst H2 greatly changed the abundance of different methanogenic populations, and induced growth of new species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liping Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Ramos DT, da Silva MLB, Chiaranda HS, Alvarez PJJ, Corseuil HX. Biostimulation of anaerobic BTEX biodegradation under fermentative methanogenic conditions at source-zone groundwater contaminated with a biodiesel blend (B20). Biodegradation 2012; 24:333-41. [PMID: 23054180 DOI: 10.1007/s10532-012-9589-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2012] [Accepted: 08/31/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Field experiments were conducted to assess the potential for anaerobic biostimulation to enhance BTEX biodegradation under fermentative methanogenic conditions in groundwater impacted by a biodiesel blend (B20, consisting of 20 % v/v biodiesel and 80 % v/v diesel). B20 (100 L) was released at each of two plots through an area of 1 m(2) that was excavated down to the water table, 1.6 m below ground surface. One release was biostimulated with ammonium acetate, which was added weekly through injection wells near the source zone over 15 months. The other release was not biostimulated and served as a baseline control simulating natural attenuation. Ammonium acetate addition stimulated the development of strongly anaerobic conditions, as indicated by near-saturation methane concentrations. BTEX removal began within 8 months in the biostimulated source zone, but not in the natural attenuation control, where BTEX concentrations were still increasing (due to source dissolution) 2 years after the release. Phylogenetic analysis using quantitative PCR indicated an increase in concentration and relative abundance of Archaea (Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota), Geobacteraceae (Geobacter and Pelobacter spp.) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (Desulfovibrio, Desulfomicrobium, Desulfuromusa, and Desulfuromonas) in the biostimulated plot relative to the control. Apparently, biostimulation fortuitously enhanced the growth of putative anaerobic BTEX degraders and associated commensal microorganisms that consume acetate and H2, and enhance the thermodynamic feasibility of BTEX fermentation. This is the first field study to suggest that anaerobic-methanogenic biostimulation could enhance source zone bioremediation of groundwater aquifers impacted by biodiesel blends.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Débora Toledo Ramos
- Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Hädrich A, Heuer VB, Herrmann M, Hinrichs KU, Küsel K. Origin and fate of acetate in an acidic fen. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2012; 81:339-54. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2012.01352.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2011] [Revised: 02/16/2012] [Accepted: 02/26/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anke Hädrich
- Aquatic Geomicrobiology Group; Institute of Ecology; Friedrich Schiller University Jena; Jena; Germany
| | - Verena B. Heuer
- Organic Geochemistry Group; Department of Geosciences and MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences; University of Bremen; Bremen; Germany
| | - Martina Herrmann
- Aquatic Geomicrobiology Group; Institute of Ecology; Friedrich Schiller University Jena; Jena; Germany
| | - Kai-Uwe Hinrichs
- Organic Geochemistry Group; Department of Geosciences and MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences; University of Bremen; Bremen; Germany
| | - Kirsten Küsel
- Aquatic Geomicrobiology Group; Institute of Ecology; Friedrich Schiller University Jena; Jena; Germany
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Ngoma L, Masilela P, Obazu F, Gray VM. The effect of temperature and effluent recycle rate on hydrogen production by undefined bacterial granules. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2011; 102:8986-8991. [PMID: 21782420 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2011.06.083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2011] [Revised: 06/22/2011] [Accepted: 06/23/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Biohydrogen production in an anaerobic fluidized granular bed bioreactor was strongly dependent on temperature and effluent recycle rates. At 45 °C as the effluent recycle rate was increased from 1.3 to 3.5 L/min, the total H₂ output for the bioreactor increased from 10.6 to 43.2 L/h. Volumetric H(2) productivity also increased from 2.1 to 8.7 L H₂/L/h. At 70°C as the effluent recycle was increased from 1.3 to 3.5 L/min, the total H₂ output for the bioreactor increased from 13.8 to 73.8L/h. At 70 °C volumetric H(2) productivities increased from 2.8 to 14.8L H₂/L/h as the effluent recycle rate was increased from 1.3 to 3.5 L/min. At 45 °C % H₂ was 45% and reached 67% at 70 °C. Maximum hydrogen yields at 45 °C were 1.24 and 2.2 mol H₂/mol glucose at 70 °C.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- L Ngoma
- School of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Hori T, Sasaki D, Haruta S, Shigematsu T, Ueno Y, Ishii M, Igarashi Y. Detection of active, potentially acetate-oxidizing syntrophs in an anaerobic digester by flux measurement and formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase (FTHFS) expression profiling. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2011; 157:1980-1989. [PMID: 21474532 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.049189-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Syntrophic oxidation of acetate, so-called reversed reductive acetogenesis, is one of the most important degradation steps in anaerobic digesters. However, little is known about the genetic diversity of the micro-organisms involved. Here we investigated the activity and composition of potentially acetate-oxidizing syntrophs using a combinatorial approach of flux measurement and transcriptional profiling of the formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase (FTHFS) gene, an ecological biomarker for reductive acetogenesis. During the operation of a thermophilic anaerobic digester, volatile fatty acids were mostly depleted, suggesting a high turnover rate for dissolved H(2), and hydrogenotrophic methanogens were the dominant archaeal members. Batch cultivation of the digester microbiota with (13)C-labelled acetate indicated that syntrophic oxidation accounted for 13.1-21.3 % of methane production from acetate. FTHFS genes were transcribed in the absence of carbon monoxide, methoxylated compounds and inorganic electron acceptors other than CO(2), which is implicated in the activity of reversed reductive acetogenesis; however, expression itself does not distinguish whether biosynthesis or biodegradation is functioning. The mRNA- and DNA-based terminal RFLP and clone library analyses indicated that, out of nine FTHFS phylotypes detected, the FTHFS genes from the novel phylotypes I-IV in addition to the known syntroph Thermacetogenium phaeum (i.e. phylotype V) were specifically expressed. These transcripts arose from phylogenetically presumed homoacetogens. The results of this study demonstrate that hitherto unidentified phylotypes of homoacetogens are responsible for syntrophic acetate oxidation in an anaerobic digester.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tomoyuki Hori
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukisamu-Higashi 2-17-2-1, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062-8517, Japan.,Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Daisuke Sasaki
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Shin Haruta
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Minami-Osawa 1-1, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan.,Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Toru Shigematsu
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Applied Life Sciences, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences, Niigata 956-8603, Japan
| | - Yoshiyuki Ueno
- Kajima Technical Research Institute, Tobitakyu 2-19-1, Chofu-shi, Tokyo 182-0036, Japan
| | - Masaharu Ishii
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Yasuo Igarashi
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Petersen SP, Ahring BK. Acetate oxidation in a thermophilic anaerobic sewage-sludge digestor: the importance of non-aceticlastic methanogenesis from acetate. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.1991.tb01747.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
|
32
|
Krakat N, Westphal A, Satke K, Schmidt S, Scherer P. The microcosm of a biogas fermenter: Comparison of moderate hyperthermophilic (60°C) with thermophilic (55°C) conditions. Eng Life Sci 2010. [DOI: 10.1002/elsc.201000064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
|
33
|
Pauss A, Andre G, Perrier M, Guiot SR. Liquid-to-Gas Mass Transfer in Anaerobic Processes: Inevitable Transfer Limitations of Methane and Hydrogen in the Biomethanation Process. Appl Environ Microbiol 2010; 56:1636-44. [PMID: 16348206 PMCID: PMC184486 DOI: 10.1128/aem.56.6.1636-1644.1990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 193] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Liquid-to-gas mass transfer in anaerobic processes was investigated theoretically and experimentally. By using the classical definition of k(L)a, the global volumetric mass transfer coefficient, theoretical development of mass balances in such processes demonstrates that the mass transfer of highly soluble gases is not limited in the usual conditions occurring in anaerobic fermentors (low-intensity mixing). Conversely, the limitation is important for poorly soluble gases, such as methane and hydrogen. The latter could be overconcentrated to as much as 80 times the value at thermodynamic equilibrium. Such overconcentrations bring into question the biological interpretations that have been deduced solely from gaseous measurements. Experimental results obtained in three different methanogenic reactors for a wide range of conditions of mixing and gas production confirmed the general existence of low mass transfer coefficients and consequently of large overconcentrations of dissolved methane and hydrogen (up to 12 and 70 times the equilibrium values, respectively). Hydrogen mass transfer coefficients were obtained from the direct measurements of dissolved and gaseous concentrations, while carbon dioxide coefficients were calculated from gas phase composition and calculation of related dissolved concentration. Methane transfer coefficients were based on calculations from the carbon dioxide coefficients. From mass balances performed on a gas bubble during its simulated growth and ascent to the surface of the liquid, the methane and carbon dioxide contents in the gas bubble appeared to be controlled by the bubble growth process, while the bubble ascent was largely responsible for a slight enrichment in hydrogen.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Pauss
- Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Avenue Royalmount, Montréal, Québec H4P 2R2, Canada
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Zinder SH, Anguish T. Carbon Monoxide, Hydrogen, and Formate Metabolism during Methanogenesis from Acetate by Thermophilic Cultures of Methanosarcina and Methanothrix Strains. Appl Environ Microbiol 2010; 58:3323-9. [PMID: 16348788 PMCID: PMC183098 DOI: 10.1128/aem.58.10.3323-3329.1992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
CO and H(2) have been implicated in methanogenesis from acetate, but it is unclear whether they are directly involved in methanogenesis or electron transfer in acetotrophic methanogens. We compared metabolism of H(2), CO, and formate by cultures of the thermophilic acetotrophic methanogens Methanosarcina thermophila TM-1 and Methanothrix sp. strain CALS-1. M. thermophila accumulated H(2) to partial pressures of 40 to 70 Pa (1 Pa = 0.987 x 10 atm), as has been previously reported for this and other Methanosarcina cultures. In contrast, Methanothrix sp. strain CALS-1 accumulated H(2) to maximum partial pressures near 1 Pa. Growing cultures of Methanothrix sp. strain CALS-1 initially accumulated CO, which reached partial pressures near 0.6 Pa (some CO came from the rubber stopper) during the middle of methanogenesis; this was followed by a decrease in CO partial pressures to less than 0.01 Pa by the end of methanogenesis. Accumulation or consumption of CO by cultures of M. thermophila growing on acetate was not detected. Late-exponential-phase cultures of Methanothrix sp. strain CALS-1, in which the CO partial pressure was decreased by flushing with N(2)-CO(2), accumulated CO to 0.16 Pa, whereas cultures to which ca. 0.5 Pa of CO was added consumed CO until it reached this partial pressure. Cyanide (1 mM) blocked CO consumption but not production. High partial pressures of H(2) (40 kPa) inhibited methanogenesis from acetate by M. thermophila but not by Methanothrix sp. strain CALS-1, and 2 kPa of CO was not inhibitory to M. thermophila but was inhibitory to Methanothrix sp. strain CALS-1. Levels of CO dehydrogenase, hydrogenase, and formate dehydrogenase in Methanothrix sp. strain CALS-1 were 9.1, 0.045, and 5.8 mumol of viologen reduced min mg of protein. These results suggest that CO plays a role in Methanothrix sp. strain CALS-1 similar to that of H(2) in M. thermophila and are consistent with the conclusion that CO is an intermediate in a catabolic or anabolic pathway in Methanothrix sp. strain CALS-1; however, they could also be explained by passive equilibration of CO with a metabolic intermediate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S H Zinder
- Section of Microbiology, Wing Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
| | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Giraldo-Gomez E, Goodwin S, Switzenbaum MS. Influence of mass transfer limitations on determination of the half saturation constant for hydrogen uptake in a mixed-culture CH(4)-producing enrichment. Biotechnol Bioeng 2010; 40:768-76. [PMID: 18601180 DOI: 10.1002/bit.260400704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
There is strong evidence in the literature supporting the existence of significant mass transfer limitations on the kinetics of exogenous H(2) consumption by methanogens. The half saturation constant for H (2) uptake by a mixed-culture, CH(4) producing enrichment was measured using an experimental protocol that avoided internal mass transfer limitations. The value obtained was two orders of magnitude smaller than any other previously reported. A mathematical model for acetogenic syntrophic associations was developed to check the capacity of H(2) as electron transporter between syntrophic partners. It was found that H(2) diffusion could account for the rate of transport of electrons between the syntrophic microorganisms and that formate is not a necessary intermediate. The possibility that formate may be an intermediate in this system was not ruled out. A Monod-type kinetic equation was modified to include the observed H(2) threshold effect. This modified equation was used to predict the CH(4)-production rate in a batch-fed digester. The results show that the external and internal H(2) pools are kinetically coupled.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Giraldo-Gomez
- Departments of Civil Engineering, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
36
|
Noll M, Klose M, Conrad R. Effect of temperature change on the composition of the bacterial and archaeal community potentially involved in the turnover of acetate and propionate in methanogenic rice field soil. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2010; 73:215-25. [PMID: 20491920 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2010.00883.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The microbial community structure was investigated together with the path of methane production in Italian rice field soil incubated at moderate (35 degrees C) and high (45 degrees C) temperature using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and stable isotope fractionation. The structure of both the archaeal and bacterial communities differed at 35 degrees C compared with 45 degrees C, and acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis dominated, respectively. Changing the incubation of the 45 degrees C soil to different temperatures (25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 degrees C) resulted in a dynamic change of both microbial community structure and stable isotope fractionation. In all treatments, acetate first accumulated and then decreased. Propionate was also transiently produced and consumed. It is noteworthy that acetate was also consumed at thermophilic conditions, although archaeal community composition and stable isotope fractionation indicated that acetoclastic methanogenesis did not operate. Instead, acetate must have been consumed by syntrophic acetate oxidizers. The transient accumulation and subsequent consumption of acetate at thermophilic conditions was specifically paralleled by terminal restriction fragments characteristic for clostridial cluster I, whereas those of clostridial clusters I and III, Acidaminococcaceae and Heliobacteraceae, paralleled the thermophilic turnover of both acetate and propionate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Noll
- Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Suresh S, Srivastava VC, Mishra IM. Critical analysis of engineering aspects of shaken flask bioreactors. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2010; 29:255-78. [PMID: 19929318 DOI: 10.3109/07388550903062314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Shaking bioreactors are the most frequently used reaction vessels in biotechnology. Since their inception, shaking bioreactors have been playing a significant role in medicine, agriculture, food, environmental, and industrial research. In spite of their huge practical importance, very little is known about the characteristic properties of shaken cultures from an engineering point of view. In this paper, a critical analysis is presented of the mixing characteristics, aeration, mass and heat transfer, power consumption, and suitability for on-line monitoring and control of various environmental and other operating parameters in aerated and anaerobic/anoxic conditions. Aspects of cell damage due to shear stress generated in shaken flask and loss of sterility due to contamination are also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S Suresh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
38
|
Muralidharan V, Rinker KD, Hirsh IS, Bouwer EJ, Kelly RM. Hydrogen transfer between methanogens and fermentative heterotrophs in hyperthermophilic cocultures. Biotechnol Bioeng 2009; 56:268-78. [PMID: 18636642 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0290(19971105)56:3<268::aid-bit4>3.0.co;2-h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Interactions involving hydrogen transfer were studied in a coculture of two hyperthermophilic microorganisms: Thermotoga maritima, an anaerobic heterotroph, and Methanococcus jannaschii, a hydrogenotrophic methanogen. Cell densities of T. maritima increased 10-fold when cocultured with M. jannaschii at 85 degrees C, and the methanogen was able to grow in the absence of externally supplied H(2) and CO(2). The coculture could not be established if the two organisms were physically separated by a dialysis membrane, suggesting the importance of spatial proximity. The significance of spatial proximity was also supported by cell cytometry, where the methanogen was only found in cell sorts at or above 4.5 microm in samples of the coculture in exponential phase. An unstructured mathematical model was used to compare the influence of hydrogen transport and metabolic properties on mesophilic and hyperthermophilic cocultures. Calculations suggest the increases in methanogenesis rates with temperature result from greater interactions between the methanogenic and fermentative organisms, as evidenced by the sharp decline in H(2) concentration in the proximity of a hyperthermophilic methanogen. The experimental and modeling results presented here illustrate the need to consider the interactions within hyperthermophilic consortia when choosing isolation strategies and evaluating biotransformations at elevated temperatures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- V Muralidharan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
39
|
Charles W, Walker L, Cord-Ruwisch R. Effect of pre-aeration and inoculum on the start-up of batch thermophilic anaerobic digestion of municipal solid waste. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2009; 100:2329-2335. [PMID: 19128961 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2008.11.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2008] [Revised: 11/27/2008] [Accepted: 11/27/2008] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
In this study, a short pre-aeration step was investigated as pre-treatment for thermophilic anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). It was found that pre-aeration of 48 h generated enough biological heat to increase the temperature of bulk OFMSW to 60 degrees C. This was sufficient self-heating of the bulk OFMSW for the start-up of thermophilic anaerobic digestion without the need for an external heat source. Pre-aeration also reduced excess easily degradable organic compounds in OFMSW, which were the common cause of acidification during the start-up of the batch system. Careful consideration however must be taken to avoid over aeration as this consumes substrate, which would otherwise be available to methanogens to produce biogas. To accelerate methane production and volatile solids destruction, the anaerobic digestion in this study was operated as a wet process with the anaerobic liquid recycled through the OFMSW. Appropriate anaerobic liquid inoculum was found to be particularly beneficial. It provided high buffer capacity as well as suitable microbial inoculum. As a result, acidification during start-up was kept to a minimum. With volatile fatty acids (VFAs-acetate in particular) and H2 accumulation typical of hydrolysis and fermentation of the easily degradable substrates during start-up, inoculum with high numbers of hydrogenotrophic methanogens was critical to not only maximise CH4 production but also reduce H2 partial pressure in the system to allow VFAs degradation. In a lab-scale bioreactor, the combined pre-aeration and wet thermophilic anaerobic digestion was able to stabilise the OFMSW within a period of only 12 days. The stabilised inert residual material can be used as a soil amendment product.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- W Charles
- Environmental Biotechnology CRC, Centre for Organic Waste Management, Division of Science and Engineering, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Aceves-Lara CA, Trably E, Bastidas-Oyenadel JR, Ramirez I, Latrille E, Steyer JP. [Bioenergy production from waste: examples of biomethane and biohydrogen]. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 202:177-89. [PMID: 18980740 DOI: 10.1051/jbio:2008020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
This new century addresses several environmental challenges among which distribution of drinking water, global warming and availability of novel renewable energy sources to substitute for fossil fuels are of utmost importance. The last two concerns are closely related because the major part of carbon dioxide (CO(2)), considered as the main cause of the greenhouse effect, is widely produced from fossil fuel combustion. Renewable energy sources fully balanced in CO(2) are therefore of special interest, especially the issue of biological production from organic wastes. Among the possibilities of bioenergy production from wastes, two approaches are particularly interesting: The first one is relatively old and related to the production of biomethane by anaerobic digestion while the second one, more recent and innovative, relies on biohydrogen production by microbial ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- César Arturo Aceves-Lara
- INRA, UR50, Laboratoire de Biotechnologie de l'Environnement, Avenue des Etangs, 11100 Narbonne, France
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Pre-genomic, genomic and post-genomic study of microbial communities involved in bioenergy. Nat Rev Microbiol 2008; 6:604-12. [DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro1939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
|
42
|
Lee HS, Salerno MB, Rittmann BE. Thermodynamic evaluation on H2 production in glucose fermentation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2008; 42:2401-7. [PMID: 18504972 DOI: 10.1021/es702610v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The normal maximum H2 yield in mesophilic biohydrogen (bioH2) fermentation is approximately 2 mol of H2/(mol of glucose). Thermodynamics could be the most fundamental control for bioH2 formation, since proton reduction is strongly energy consuming (+79.4 kJ/(mol of H2)). However, most of the electron equivalents in glucose do not accumulate in H2 but in a range of organic acids and alcohols. Thus, evaluating the hypothesis of thermodynamic control requiresthe full stoichiometry of the fermentation. We carried out batch bioH2 reactions with a range of pH values that yielded H2 yields from 0 to approximately 2 mol of H2/(mol of glucose). We constructed complete electron equivalent(e(-) equiv) balances for high or low H2 yield by measuring all e(-) sinks. The highest H2 yield occurred with pH approximately 4 and was coincident with major butyrate accumulation; ethanol or lactate correlated to reduced H2 yields at pH 7 and 10, respectively. Although the Gibb's free energies for all overall reactions were similar (-10.6 to -11.2 kJ/(e(-) equiv)), thermodynamics controlled the H2-producing reaction coupled to ferredoxin; this reaction was favorable at acidic pH but thermodynamically blocked at pH 10. Also, butyrate formation was the most thermodynamically favorable reaction that produced ATP after glycolysis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyung-Sool Lee
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, P. O. Box 875701, Tempe, Arizona 85287-5701, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Hattori S. Syntrophic Acetate-Oxidizing Microbes in Methanogenic Environments. Microbes Environ 2008; 23:118-27. [DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.23.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 326] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Hattori
- Department of Bioresource Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamagata University
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Abstract
Few studies have dealt so far with methanogenic pathways and populations in subarctic and arctic soils. We studied the effects of temperature on rates and pathways of CH4 production and on the relative abundance and structure of the archaeal community in a mildly acidic peat from a permafrost region in Siberia (67 degrees N). We monitored the production of CH4 and CO2 over time and measured the consumption of Fe(II), ethanol and volatile fatty acids. All experiments were performed with and without specific inhibitors [2-bromoethanesulfonate (BES) for methanogenesis and CH3F for acetoclastic methanogenesis]. The optimum temperature for methanogenesis was between 26 degrees C and 28 degrees C [4.3 micromol CH4 (g dry weight)(-1) day(-1)], but the activity was high even at 4 degrees C [0.75 micromol CH4 (g dry weight)(-1) day(-1)], constituting 17% of that at 27 degrees C. The population structure of archaea was studied by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and remained constant over a wide temperature range. Acetoclastic methanogenesis accounted for about 70% of the total methanogenesis. Most 16S rRNA gene sequences clustered with Methanosarcinales, correlating with the prevalence of acetoclastic methanogenesis. In addition, sequences clustering with Methanobacteriales were recovered. Fe reduction occurred in parallel to methanogenesis. At lower and higher temperatures Fe reduction was not affected by BES. Because butyrate was consumed during methanogenesis and accumulated when methanogenesis was inhibited (BES and CH3F), it is proposed to serve as methanogenic precursor, providing acetate and H2 by syntrophic oxidation. In addition, ethanol and caproate occurred as intermediates. Because of thermodynamic constraints, homoacetogenesis could not compete with hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martina Metje
- Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse, D-35043 Marburg, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
45
|
|
46
|
Karadagli F, Rittmann BE. Thermodynamic and kinetic analysis of the H2 threshold for Methanobacterium bryantii M.o.H. Biodegradation 2006; 18:439-52. [PMID: 17091351 DOI: 10.1007/s10532-006-9073-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2006] [Accepted: 07/25/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
H2 thresholds, concentrations below which H2 consumption by a microbial group stops, have been associated with microbial respiratory processes such as dechlorination, denitrification, sulfate reduction, and methanogenesis. Researchers have proposed that observed H2 thresholds occur when the available Gibbs free energy is minimal (DeltaG approximately 0) for a specific respiratory reaction. Others suggest that microbial kinetics also may play a role in controlling the thresholds. Here, we comprehensively evaluate H2 thresholds in light of microbial thermodynamic and kinetic principles. We show that a thermodynamic H2 threshold for Methanobacterium bryantii M.o.H. is not controlled by DeltaG for methane production from H2 + HCO3-. We repeatedly attain a H2 threshold near 0.4 nM, with a range of 0.2-1 nM, and DeltaG for methanogenesis from H2 + HCO3- is positive, +5 to +7 kJ/mol-H2, at the threshold in most cases. We postulate that the H2 threshold is controlled by a separate reaction other than methane production. The electrons from H2 oxidation are transferred to an electron sink that is a solid-phase component of the cells. We also show that a kinetic threshold (S(min)) occurs at a theoretically computed H2 concentration of about 2400 nM at which biomass growth shifts from positive to negative.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fatih Karadagli
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208-3109, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Arbeli Z, Brenner A, Abeliovich A. Treatment of high-strength dairy wastewater in an anaerobic deep reservoir: analysis of the methanogenic fermentation pathway and the rate-limiting step. WATER RESEARCH 2006; 40:3653-9. [PMID: 16904720 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2006.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2005] [Revised: 06/08/2006] [Accepted: 06/23/2006] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The wastewater of the largest dairy factory in Israel (Tnuva, Tel-Yosef), discharging approximately 6000 tons BOD per year, is treated in two serial, deep reservoirs (anaerobic/facultative). In this study, which focused on the anaerobic reservoir, we combined in situ measurements (over 18 months) and supporting lab experiments, in order to evaluate its efficiency and to identify the rate-limiting step of the methanogenic fermentation pathway. The anaerobic reservoir could remove above 75% of the BOD and COD all year round, but this was not enough to prevent malodors during the winter. Acetate and propionate, products of lactose fermentation, were the predominant intermediate metabolites in the reservoir and their concentrations were strongly dependent on the temperature and the organic load. The combined effects of colder winter temperatures and seasonal increase of organic load, resulted in a decreased rate of propionate oxidation and a consequent accumulation of soluble BOD and COD. Laboratory batch experiments, conducted during this season, found propionate oxidation to be the rate-limiting step in the process, characterized by a lag period preceding its degradation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ziv Arbeli
- Department of Environmental Hydrology and Microbiology, The Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of Negev, Sede-Boker Campus, 84990, Israel.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Islam R, Cicek N, Sparling R, Levin D. Effect of substrate loading on hydrogen production during anaerobic fermentation by Clostridium thermocellum 27405. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2006; 72:576-83. [PMID: 16685495 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-006-0316-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2005] [Revised: 12/28/2005] [Accepted: 01/01/2006] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We have investigated hydrogen (H2) production by the cellulose-degrading anaerobic bacterium, Clostridium thermocellum. In the following experiments, batch-fermentations were carried out with cellobiose at three different substrate concentrations to observe the effects of carbon-limited or carbon-excess conditions on the carbon flow, H2-production, and synthesis of other fermentation end products, such as ethanol and organic acids. Rates of cell growth were unaffected by different substrate concentrations. H2, carbon dioxide (CO2), acetate, and ethanol were the main products of fermentation. Other significant end products detected were formate and lactate. In cultures where cell growth was severely limited due to low initial substrate concentrations, hydrogen yields of 1 mol H2/mol of glucose were obtained. In the cultures where growth ceased due to carbon depletion, lactate and formate represented a small fraction of the total end products produced, which consisted mainly of H2, CO2, acetate, and ethanol throughout growth. In cultures with high initial substrate concentrations, cellobiose consumption was incomplete and cell growth was limited by factors other than carbon availability. H2-production continued even in stationary phase and H2/CO2 ratios were consistently greater than 1 with a maximum of 1.2 at the stationary phase. A maximum specific H2 production rate of 14.6 mmol g dry cell(-1) h(-1) was observed. As cells entered stationary phase, extracellular pyruvate production was observed in high substrate concentration cultures and lactate became a major end product.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rumana Islam
- Deptartment of Biosystems Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, R3T 5V6 MB, Canada.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Metje M, Frenzel P. Effect of temperature on anaerobic ethanol oxidation and methanogenesis in acidic peat from a northern wetland. Appl Environ Microbiol 2006; 71:8191-200. [PMID: 16332802 PMCID: PMC1317349 DOI: 10.1128/aem.71.12.8191-8200.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The effects of temperature on rates and pathways of CH4 production and on the abundance and structure of the archaeal community were investigated in acidic peat from a mire in northern Scandinavia (68 degrees N). We monitored the production of CH4 and CO2 over time and measured the turnover of Fe(II), ethanol, and organic acids. All experiments were performed with and without specific inhibitors (2-bromoethanesulfonate [BES] for methanogenesis and CH3F for acetoclastic methanogenesis). The optimum temperature for methanogenesis was 25 degrees C (2.3 micromol CH4.g [dry weight](-1) . day(-1)), but the activity was relatively high even at 4 degrees C (0.25 micromol CH4. g [dry weight](-1) . day(-1)). The theoretical lower limit for methanogenesis was calculated to be at -5 degrees C. The optimum temperature for growth as revealed by real-time PCR was 25 degrees C for both archaea and bacteria. The population structure of archaea was studied by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and remained constant over a wide temperature range. Hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis accounted for about 80% of the total methanogenesis. Most 16S rRNA gene sequences that were affiliated with methanogens and all McrA sequences clustered with the exclusively hydrogenotrophic order Methanobacteriales, correlating with the prevalence of hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Fe reduction occurred parallel to methanogenesis and was inhibited by BES, suggesting that methanogens were involved in Fe reduction. Based upon the observed balance of substrates and thermodynamic calculations, we concluded that the ethanol pool was oxidized to acetate by the following two processes: syntrophic oxidation with methanogenesis (i) as an H2 sink and (ii) as a reductant for Fe(III). Acetate accumulated, but a considerable fraction was converted to butyrate, making volatile fatty acids important end products of anaerobic metabolism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martina Metje
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl von Frisch Str., D-35043 Marburg, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
Schulz S, Matsuyama H, Conrad R. Temperature dependence of methane production from different precursors in a profundal sediment (Lake Constance). FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.1997.tb00372.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
|